Fontana di Trevi
by TheIceCubeCancer
Summary: She looked at him, clearly confused. He looked at her, waiting for an answer. For a while they're both looking at each other.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any other things.**

* * *

><p>Fontana di Trevi<p>

* * *

><p>"Ugh!" a blonde girl said in frustration.<p>

"Signorina?" a lady asked.

The girl turned around and managed to put a smile on her frustrated face. "Oh, it's just, you know... I mean, well, I don't speak the language here, so sorry 'bout that, but it's just that I'm... wait, do you speak English?" the girl rambled.

The lady – around her mid-fourties – smiled. "Dear, I believe you are confusing yourself. As you may have noticed, I speak English, but I fear that is not what was frustrating you," the lady ended the sentence as a question.

"I can't find the Pantheon," the girl blurted out.

"The Pantheon? I have never understood why people would want to see that thing. It is just a church," she sighed. "Let it be, I will show you the way."

"What? It's an architectural wonder, it's one of the best preserved buildings in Rome and Raphael himself is buried in it," the girl spoke with an incredible eagerness. "Isn't that amazing?"

The lady had to admire the girl's enthusiasm. "I can see your point, especially when you say it like that. What is your name, Dear?"

"Why do you want to know that, ma'am?" The young girl's features changed, they became more cautious. She added, "Signora, I mean."

"Dear, you had trouble finding the way, am I right?" she didn't wait for an answer. "I was trying to be polite and help you, it is no trouble for me, I am going that way myself." The girl was still alert, the lady saw that.

"My name is Leonora, you can follow me if you want. I will go now." The lady, Leonora, began walking. The girl stood behind, she had learned not to trust everybody you meet, not even if they look nice. She had grown up that way. Learned it the hard way. She shouldn't trust the lady, Leonora. On the other hand, she did need help. But couldn't she ask someone else? She looked around. No, she was at a little square – no one to ask. Leonora had just turned a corner and was out of the girl's sight. She made a quick decision and ran down the road Leonora had disappeared at.

"Annabeth! My name's Annabeth," she yelled as she caught up with the elder lady.

"You decided to follow me." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

The girl, Annabeth, blinked, she didn't know what to say. "I, yeah, I couldn't find it on my own. I needed help."

For a while they walked in silence, they passed many street sellers and restaurants.

"You said, you did not speak Italian. Where are you from?" Leonora asked.

Annabeth looked at the woman walking beside her. Considering her age, she was very pretty and considering her heritage – Annabeth figured Leonora was from Italy – she spoke English very well. "America, I live in San Francisco. You're from Italy, right?"

"America. That is a long trip, are you on a vacation?" Leonora looked at Annabeth for an answer, but upon seeing the look on the younger girl's face, she added, "Yes, I am from Italy. In fact, I am here from Rome."

"Rome is a nice city," Annabeth stated.

"It is," Leonora agreed. "Were you a vacation?"

"Oh, yeah. I have Greek background, but I couldn't go to Greece because there were no tickets available when I could go, so it was Rome instead."

"Greek background, you say. So have I," Leonora said to herself.

Annabeth gave her a surprised look. "Really?"

"Yes," Leonora answered shortly with a smile.

Again they walked in silence. They kept it like that until Annabeth found ten cent on the road.

"It means good luck to find a coin, did you know that?" Leonora asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "No, I didn't."

When Annabeth had bend down and picked up the coin and turned it in her hand, she could feel that it was indeed a luck-coin.

After the coin-incident they walked in silence. It continued like that until Leonora asked Annabeth if she could tell her something about Rome, the elder woman had never been much interested in history, but she thought that Annabeth might be able to make it interesting. Annabeth obliged and started talking. The two continued like that until they came to Piazza della Rotunda, the square where the Pantheon was.

"Here you have it, Dear. The Pantheon." Leonora made a gesture towards the building.

Annabeth was awestruck, to say the least. She was at a place she had dreamed of for years, sure it wasn't Athens, but it was almost as good. Annabeth asked her companion if she wanted to go in with her, Leonora accepted – she had a day off – on one concision, that Annabeth would tell all she knew about the place. Annabeth happily obliged and they entered the sacred place.

The two newly friends walked around for an hour and a half. Annabeth had told everything she knew to Leonora and in return her new friend had learned her some Italian phrases.

When they came out they stood and talked about life for a while, in the end Leonora said she had to go. Annabeth could see the point in it, it was getting late and the sky had begun to darken.

"Annabeth, it was a pleasure to meet you. And you gave me a new view on my own city. Thank you. Now if you continue down that road," Leonora pointed down a road, "And follow the signs you will come to Fontana di Trevi."

"Fontana di Trevi? I've never heard of it."

Leonora smiled. "Dear, I am sure you have heard of it, when you come to Piazza di Trevi you will recognize the place."

"But-" Annabeth started.

"No buts, you will go there. Just follow that road, and all the tourists," she said with a glint in her eye, "You will come to a big road, Via del Corso, just continue straight forward. Believe me, you will not regret it. It is an even more amazing sight than Pantheon."

* * *

><p>When Annabeth arrived at Piazza di Trevi she had to admit it was a spectacular sight. She was standing in front of a huge water-thing, unlike what Leonora had claimed, Annabeth did not recognize the place. And unlike what she had said about there being many tourists, she was also wrong. Sure there were a couple of people, but not many – maybe five to ten people. That allowed her to get really close to the site. She leaned on the metal railing and looked at the sight in front of her.<p>

Usually when Annabeth was looking at things, she could always manage to think of a way to have made it better herself, there were always something to change. However when Annabeth stood in front of Fontana di Trevi, she would not change a thing. It was beautiful as it was.

It was a fountain, a big one, it filled about half of the square it was on. There was three niches, the biggest of them held a male figure. On both side there was two smaller niches, both held a female figure. Between the niches and the water in front of Annabeth, there were two horses and a man on each side. One man was trying to control a wild horse, another were next to the calm horse.

Annabeth stood in the same place and just looked at the fountain, soon the sky was dark and the lights on the fountain had lit up.

"I always thought you were more of a Greece type," a voice said beside Annabeth. She looked to her right and her eyes widened. "However if you were to come to Rome, I would have thought you would see Pantheon. Not this," he gestured to the fountain.

Annabeth didn't know what to say. What _do_ you say to a god you have never talked to? "I have seen the Pantheon," she finally said.

"What do you think of this?" he asked.

"Rome?" she frowned.

"That too," he smiled. "But I meant the fountain."

"I like Rome, even though I originally wanted to go to Greece," she frowned a bit, he saw. "But I don't regret it," she continued.

"Fontana di Trevi?" he asked.

"I like it, it's pretty. And incredible well maintained too, considering its age."

He looked at her again. "The work started in 1732 and ended in 1762. It's not that old."

"Oh," she didn't know what to say. She hated not knowing. And here she didn't know, she had never heard of the fountain. How could she know when it was built?

"You seem surprised."

"I've never heard of it," she answered quietly. Before he could come with an answer, she said, "Can I ask why _you _are here, sir?"

"Is it a crime?" he asked her.

"No," she shook her head. "Not as far as I know."

He chuckled. "That's what I thought."

For some seconds they were both quiet. Eventually he said, "For the same reason as you. I like Rome."

He looked at Annabeth. "Is there a reason why Percy isn't with you?"

She looked at him, clearly confused. He looked at her, waiting for an answer. For a while they're both looking at each other.

"Last time, I talked to him, he was studying in Miami. Haven't really heard from him since," Annabeth finally told the man she was looking at.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? I thought you were best friends and _dating_."

"People change," Annabeth shrugged and looked at the water again. "They grow apart."

"Do you really believe that?"

Her head snapped back to its previous position – looking at him. "Yes, I do."

He nodded in acceptance and changed the subject by his next sentence. "I'm afraid, I don't understand why you are traveling alone."

"Why wouldn't I? I like to travel." Annabeth straightened up. "Besides I don't really have any who'd go with me."

"No one?"

Annabeth's eyes stung. "No one."

"That's unfortunate."

Annabeth's vision became blurred. "Very," she managed to say.

"Nobody should travel alone if not necessary."

By now, Annabeth fought with the tears.

"There's many options to a travel companion, a friend, family, a loved one."

Annabeth gave up. She let the tears come down her cheeks. He took her hand in his. It just caused Annabeth to cry more. He squeezed her hand, causing more tears to come. In the end, he pulled her into an embrace.

"Sometimes you need to just cry it out," he told her quietly.

For a long time, they stand like that. Two people clinging to each other. Him whispering comforting words in her ear, and her absorbing them as if her life depended on it. At last she opened up and told him about how most of her friends were not keen on traveling, how those who enjoyed traveling, were too busy. Annabeth ended up telling him about all the things, she had kept inside of herself. Eventually she had told him all there was to tell. Even though, they both knew that there were no more to tell, they kept the embracing one another.

In the end, Annabeth pulled away. "I'm sorry."

"For what? Crying?" he laughed and laid an arm around her shoulders. "It's healthy to cry."

"You sound like my mom, sir," Annabeth mumbled into his shirt. Shortly after she added, "Thanks."

He squeezed her shoulders in a hug. "You're welcome. And I take offense to sounding like Athena."

She smiled into his shirt. The stayed in that position for a while. Neither tries to break the silence. Annabeth focus her attention on the flow of the water from the fountain. She closed her eyes and let the other senses fill her. The sound of flowing water, the smell of water, the feeling of being half hugged and the cold metal in her hand, the taste of water in the air.

"It's late," he says after a long silence.

"It's dark."

She feels that he looks at her. "It is."

Again they were quiet for some time. Until she sighed and asked, "Was that just a nice way to say, 'Hey, you know, you should probably go now'?"

Annabeth could feel him laugh before he answered. "No, I was stating the obvious."

She smiled and twisted the coin in her hand. "Maybe I should head back, it _is_ late."

"Not yet," he told her.

"Lord?" Annabeth looked confused at him.

"You have a coin in your hand, am I correct?"

"Yes, I found it on the way over here." She held the coin up for him to see.

"You know, there is a belief that says, that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you will return to Rome at some time."

Annabeth looked at him in disbelief. "You want me to throw a coin in a fountain?"

"Smart girl," he smiled at her.

"A coin? In the fountain?" she asked. He moved behind her and took her by the shoulders and turned her around so they were facing one another.

"Don't you believe in magic?" he asked with an honest smile and removed his hands.

"Can I wish?"

"You can always wish."

Annabeth closed her eyes and wished. She threw the coin.

"I'll follow you back."

"That's not necessary, sir," Annabeth assured him.

"Maybe not, but I want to."

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the place Annabeth stayed at, they had been talking almost all the way.<p>

At one point, he had asked her about her wish.

"What did you wish for?" he had asked her curiously.

"If I told you, it would never come true," she had answered.

She had not known that if you throw a coin the the Trevi Fountain, you would return to Rome. However she _did_ know that of you ever told anybody what you had wished for, it would never come true.

He followed her up to her door. As she opened the door, she hesitantly asked him if he wanted to come in. He politely declined.

"Thank you for tonight, Annabeth, it was a pleasure," he told her, causing her to blush a bit.

"I think, it's me who should thanks you for, you know, our chat, if that's what you can call it," she smiled.

"Anytime. Sweet dream, Annabeth," he told her before he left.

"Goodnight... Poseidon," Annabeth whispered to the still open door.

The still lingering smell of water in the air said, _Thank you._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aren't random facts build into a story nice? All the facts about the Pantheon, Fontana di Trevi and other 'attractions' in Rome are correct. Though it's _not_ difficult to navigate in Rome.**

**Please don't blame me, I was just in Rome and was inspired when I was at Piazza di Trevi. And I suck at describing things, so if confused about the fountain, just search for an image on google. **

**Why is it, I like to keep an identity hidden until the end of the story? Could someone please tell me?**

**Please take a few seconds to vote on my poll.**


End file.
